With less than two weeks to go, I'm into my "taper." I will be out of town this weekend to visit the mother figure, so I thought I'd fill you guys in with what my race plans are and let you nit pick them apart (trust me, there will be plenty of nit picking to do, I'm sure).
So here's the first edition of my race plan.
Pre-Race
- The race is 6AM on Sunday July 10th.
- I'm going to drive to RI Saturday morning (~1.5 hour drive)
- I have a hotel room both Saturday and Sunday nights
- Saturday morning, I will check in, go to an athlete info session, check out the ironman village, and scope out the swim locale, the run course, and maybe part of the bike course (I'm really hoping they'll have an elevation map for that at the check in).
- Hydrate ALL day!
- Pack cycling jersey and racing belt with gels & nutrition
- Go to bed early Saturday
- Wake up early Sunday.
- Eat light - yogurt, banana, raisins, maybe a power bar.
- Cover my body with sun tan lotion.
- Have a gel (GU or Clif) and two aleve just before the swim.
- Put goggles on under the cap (the last thing I want is to lose my goggles)
- I'm a swimmer, so I want a strong swim!
- Get out ahead off the bat.
- If I can't get out ahead, find someone going your speed and draft (it's legal on the swim!)
- Settle into a rhythm I can hold after the first 4-5 min.
Transition 1
- I'm great at running after the swim, so capitalize!
- Dry my feet!
- Put on my socks & biking shoes (just my older pair of running shoes)
- Put on my cycling jersey.
- Nutrition will be in my jersey pockets (and possibly taped to the frame).
- Start my watch timer - one beep every 15 minutes
- Apply body glide to crotch (hey, it's needed for this long of a ride!)
- Put on sunglasses and helmet.
- Spray forearms and legs with sun tan lotion
- GET OUT OF TRANSITION!!!
Bike
- The plan is to go smooth and steady
- Ease into the first 5 miles
- From there, increase as I feel it (I can dig too deep if I push it early)
- Stay in the aeros as much as possible
- Don't hammer up the hills!
- Take in water and nutrition early, drinking and snacking often (I know I'm horrible at nutrition on the run, so do as much to offset that as possible).
- I need ~2L (all three water bottles my bike holds) every hour. That means three full refills.
- Make sure to pee before transition (don't want to waste time).
- Stretch the legs in the last few miles (prep for the run).
Transition 2
- Simultaneously kick off my shoes and take off my jersey.
- Possibly put on fresh socks (depends on how damp they are after the bike).
- Slip on my running shoes
- Possibly switch into running shorts (depends on amount of chafing)
- More sun tan lotion if I already feel it from the bike.
- Grab my race belt
- Grab my running jersey
- Grab my headband (whatever I end up deciding to use)
- GET OUT OF TRANSITION
Run
- Get belt, jersey, and headband on
- Ease into the first mile or so (get running legs under me)
- Try to stick to a sub-threshold pace for 4-6 miles
- After that, run by complete feel (aka, like a wild indian)
- Eat a gel (or something) every ~3 miles (No exceptions prior to 10 miles)
- Drink at EVERY aid station (I don't usually get a large volume from those aid station cups, so frequency is going to be the key)
- I've proven to myself that I can rock a long run when I'm fatigued, so use that mental aspect to your advantage!
Post-Race
- Eat / Refuel
- Rest
- Stare for long periods of time at the finisher's medal while analyzing each and every step of the race.
- Most likely spend more money than I should at the Ironman Village booth
- Ice Bath!
You guys are the experts. What do you think?
Is there anything obvious that I missed or something you think might be helpful in there?
Is there anything in there that you think I might be good to do without?
As always, I'm all ears!!
Stay fit. Stay healthy. Stay safe.
12 comments:
I see only two oversights. In T1, be sure to get the sunscreen on your face and neck, too. And hands!!
And post-race, you need to right us a detailed and inspiring race report.
Have a great time!
Sounds like a plan. I'd only point out, that your Friday night sleep is more important than saturday night. I pop a sleeping pill Friday night so I know I'm out.
Post-Race: Ummm you forgot the part about beer
good luck!
Sooooo excited for you!!!! I was told to put on my tri shorts under my wetsuit and that will be what I wear for bike and run??
I think you've planned enough... now relax... have fun.. . and as my friend Kurt says JFR (just fricking race)
This is so step by step! But don't forget to take off your helmet! ;)
I had to pee on my bike at Muncie last year, did not want to but did not want to stop! =) Expect the unexpected!!!
Sounds good to me!
If you have tri shorts, you should wear them for the whole race, don't lose time changing in T2 - I also think changing socks in T2 is unnecessary for half distance, either go sockless for the bike or just keep the same pair on.
This race has sometimes been very hot - dial back effort on bike SERIOUSLY if it is warm and humid, or your run time can suffer unbelievably!
Sounds like a great plan! You're going to kick some major booty!
Sounds like a totally well thought out plan. I would agree with the comment about the Friday night sleep. You won't be able to sleep much the night before the race, so be rested up well prior to that!
I love how much you have thought all of this though - keep visualizing the day and it'll unfold perfectly! :) So excited for you!
I did my first half in April. Based on that, here are my suggestions.
I'm not a strong swimmer so I swim the day before, nothing serious, just acclimate to the water temp, waves, etc. I like to follow that up with a short 10-15 minute ride to make sure my bike is ok, and see the start of the bike course, followed by a brief low key run. Kind of get in the mental zone stuff you can use to visualize later and in the morning. I should caveat this with "this is what I did for my first HIM this April". I'm no expert.
T1
Changing shorts for a half really isn't practical so I would swim, bike and run in the same shorts if possible.
In T1, pre-roll the socks so you can roll them up on wet feet (roll them up like a condom). If possible, wear your cycling jersey on the swim. If not, practice putting your jersey on a wet torso.
Instead of body glide in the saddle area, consider Aquaphor (you can buy at Walmart) or Chamois Butt'r or many other saddle creams you can apply before the race.
On the bike everyone is different. Having an alarm every 15-20 minutes is a good idea. It's easy to skip calories when you are biking harder than you should.
T2 - keep the jersey, shorts and socks the same (unless it is raining)
run and post race - be a rock star! You are in the top 0.1% of the world.
Sounds like a great, detailed plan. You've definitely planned for just about every imaginable scenario.
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